Amid coronavirus scare, Bangladesh asks all returning from abroad to stay in home quarantine

The Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research on Sunday made it mandatory for all returning from foreign countries to stay in quarantine at home to prevent spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) infection.

They have been advised to stay at home quarantine even if they don’t have the symptoms of coronavirus infection a highly contagious novel virus that already spread to over 54 countries.

IEDCR director Meerjady Sabrina Flora said that so far no infected person had been identified in Bangladesh and that the potential source of the novel virus to infect people could be coming from abroad.

‘So, we are advising people coming from abroad to stay in mandatory home quarantine and not to leave home unless there is emergency need,’ she said.

Meerjady said the IEDCR was focusing on taking cautionary measures to prevent the coronavirus infection, because it’s highly contagious virus and wherever it is found it is spreading very fast.’

‘So we are advising all who are coming from abroad to use mask from the airport and take private vehicles instead of public transports if possible to go home,’ she said.

‘We are requesting them to stay in home quarantine, avoid public places, and if urgently need to go outside home, use masks,’ Meerjady said.

The IEDCR director further advised them to contact the IEDCR if anyone develops the symptoms of corona virus infection while staying at home quarantine after coming from abroad.

The IEDCR hotlines are: 01937000011, 01937110011, 01927711784, 01927711785.

She said if the symptoms of coronavirus infection were found during screening at the ports of entry, they would be isolated instantly.

‘We’ve the measures for screening and testing them if needed,’ she said.

Meerjady said the IEDCR tested samples of 88 people so far, but none of them were found to be infected with coronavirus.

She advised people to avoid going to the countries affected by coronavirus infection unless it was essential.

Though none was found infected with coronavirus so far in Bangladesh, five Bangladeshis in Singapore were found infected.

Among them, two were released after recovery while three others were still at hospitals, Meerjady said.

She said one of the three was still at the intensive care unit as his condition was critical.

Another Bangladeshi expatriate was found infected with coronavirus in the United Arab Emirates, she said.

His condition was stable, Meerjady said.

The coronavirus, which believed to have spread in late December from a market in Wuhan, China, that sells wild animals, already killed at least 2,870 in mainland China and a total of 2,924 people across the world.

The virus is spreading fast and South Korea, Italy, Iran, Singapore and Japan appeared to be new hotspots of infect people and the World Health Organization already declare global health emergency over coronavirus infection.

Health officials said that Bangladesh was prepared to screening passengers at the ports of entry and had installed isolation centres at all medical college hospitals and district hospitals. (Source: New Age)